All the ancestors in the capital begged me to be a substitute

Chapter 338 Hyperemia

That night, Shen Lingxi and Chu Yan changed their clothes and went to the flower house.

Shen Lingxi wore an indigo tapestry robe, a gold crown on her head, and a jade belt around her waist. She wore the Pisces pendant in the most conspicuous position, pretending to be a rich young man.

Chu Yan, on the other hand, was wearing a black outfit, with a handsome face and a scar. He looked fierce, pretending to be a guard, and his whole body was filled with evil aura, making people afraid to look directly at him.

Shen Lingxi remembered that when Mu Huaian gave her this jade pendant, he said, "...This is a heirloom of the Mu family. It can mobilize the hidden stakes left by the grandfather... Those hidden stakes only obey the orders of the owner of the jade pendant. If If they have something to do, they just need to tie the jade pendant around their waists and walk around the most lively houses in the capital. Someone will naturally contact the owner of the jade pendant. They hang out in places with three religions and nine streams all year round, and sometimes they compare favorably with people from the government. It’s better to use.”

According to the information from the Embroidered Clothes Envoy, after Mu Huaijie obtained this jade pendant, he often visited places with wooden roofs and tiles.

Shen Lingxi had to suspect that he did not do this by accident.

not to mention……

When Sheng Kun "dismembered" his corpse, he relied on the power of Mingyang Jade.

And this Pisces pendant happens to be an ancient jade...

She couldn't help but think about it.

On midsummer nights, the flower houses and tile shops are much more lively than in other seasons.

The rich fragrance of powder spreads very far in the night breeze, and the coquettish laughter between the flower lady and her patrons also makes people blush.

Shen Lingxi waved her fan and swaggered around one brothel after another. Finally, in an inconspicuous hook bar, she waited for the person who took the initiative to contact her.

An old bustard who still retained his charm glanced at the jade pendant around Shen Lingxi's waist, then took the initiative to greet him, flicked his handkerchief and said with a smile: "Sir, the Tianzi No. [-] wing you ordered has been packed for you. Yes, Miss Haitang is waiting for the young master in the room."

Shen Lingxi glanced at her, smiled, and followed her upstairs without saying anything.

Compared with the other ones she had been to before, this Goulan restaurant could only be described as sparse.

There were only two actors on the stage in the nave, singing a little tune.

A few scattered guests who looked like outsiders were sitting behind the hanging gauze tent, drinking flower wine with the flower girl in their arms.

On both sides of the corridor on the second floor, it was so cold that there weren't even any lighted rooms.

Shen Lingxi and Chu Yan followed the madam and walked up to the second floor.

At the end of the dim corridor, in the only wing with lights on, the people inside seemed to hear footsteps, and opened the door with a "squeak" from inside.

The green embroidered screen that came into view reflected the silhouette of a woman holding a pipa, slanted by a lamp.

The silhouette looked graceful and charming under the swaying candlelight.

Unfortunately, Shen Lingxi could see at a glance that this was just a false silhouette projected by candlelight.

When this trick was in Duke Wei's palace, the famous Immortal Zhang used it to "call in spirits".

It might be okay to deceive others, but when you meet Shen Lingxi, it's like playing tricks on Lu Ban.

Although Shen Lingxi didn't have any martial arts skills, she was extremely sensitive to smells. There was a faint scent of medicine coming out of the room, but the scent of powder was missing.

It can be seen that the person hiding in the room is definitely not a woman, but a man.

Chu Yan also noticed something strange and walked quietly in front, protecting Shen Lingxi behind him.

The madam walked to the door and made a "please" gesture to them with a smile.

Shen Lingxi paused, her eyes moved, and she looked at the Madam, "It seems that you, Miss Haitang, don't really want to see me. What do you mean? This jade pendant is not easy to use. Are you planning to betray the master?" "

The smile on the madam's face froze.

"Mother Xu, please come in."

At this moment, a hoarse male voice came from the room.

When Shen Lingxi heard the voice, her expression became slightly condensed, and she walked towards the room.Chu Yan's face darkened and he also walked in.

On the bed behind the screen, a bearded man wearing black night clothes, holding a dagger in his hand, leaned on the bedside with a pale face.

If it weren't for his pair of peach blossom eyes, which as always had a bit of affection for everyone, Shen Lingxi wouldn't have recognized who he was for a while.

"Long time no see." The man weakly curled his lips to greet them.

Seeing that they knew each other, the Madam finally relaxed a little, carefully closed the door and retreated.

Chu Yan said with a cold voice, "You didn't stay in Yunjiang and secretly ran back to the capital. Do you think your life is too long?"

That person was none other than Mu Huaian, whom he hadn't seen for a long time.

Generals guarding the border are not allowed to return to Beijing unless summoned.

If someone were to discover him, not only would his head be in danger, but he might also be charged with treason.

"Your Highness wants to punish this official, and it won't be too late after Sheng Kun is killed."

As Mu Huaian spoke, a look of pain suddenly appeared on his face. He coughed hard twice, and bleeding came from the corners of his lips.

Seeing this, Shen Lingxi stretched out her hand and touched the pulse on the side of his neck.

Then look carefully at the color of blood at the corners of his lips.

The blood is bright red, not like poisoning.

She pondered and asked, "Are you...injured internally by someone?"

"I don't know what kind of injury this is." Mu Huaian said weakly, "After Huai Jie died, the personal guards I sent to the capital to handle Huai Jie's funeral came back to report that there was something strange about the circumstances of Huai Jie's death. This tile is associated with it. There were more than a dozen people in the house who died suddenly one after another not long after coming into contact with him. They were all the confidants that my grandfather left to the Mu family to save their lives. I can't just sit back and ignore what happened to them. Now Xu Huan is here in Yunjiang. , it was very peaceful, so I quietly sneaked back to the capital."

"I went to examine their bodies and found that there were strange things on those bodies. After I accidentally touched the things, they became like this."

After that, he coughed deeply again, and more blood spilled from the corner of his lips, "I suspect that that thing is related to the previous letter you wrote about Sheng Kun's corpse..."

After just a few words, he was already out of breath.

Shen Lingxi took out a pill from her sleeve and handed it to his palm, "Take this and the pain will lessen."

Mu Huaian thanked him, took the pill, and swallowed it directly.

After about half a cup of tea, his pale complexion finally softened a lot and he stopped coughing.

But Shen Lingxi knew that this was the effect of the medicine.

The pills temporarily suppressed the pain in his body. If the cause could not be found, it would probably only treat the symptoms but not the root cause.

Maybe he will suffer even more after the effects of the medicine wear off.

"Where are those corpses?" Shen Lingxi asked, "I came here today just to check for blood."

Mu Huaian looked at her and then at Chu Yan, who had a stern expression behind her, "The bodies are all in Yizhuang in the northern suburbs. I will lead the way for you."

*
Half an hour later, a dozen black-armored guards and embroidered envoys gathered around a wide carriage and stopped at an abandoned village in the northern suburbs of the capital that was rarely visited by people.

Yizhuang has been in disrepair for a long time and is unattended and dilapidated.

Especially on this summer night when insects and birds are everywhere, the night wind is mixed with a putrid smell and blows in the face. Even people like Shen Lingxi, who are used to being around corpses, think of the corpse staying here for so long. , I am afraid that it has already been rotted to a state of disgrace, and I can’t help but feel a little unbearable.

A group of three people, plus Su Xian who was temporarily pulled over, got off the carriage.

Mu Huaian, leaning on crutches, led the way with hobbling steps, saying: "Four months ago, Mu Huaijie took that Pisces pendant and asked them to find some helpless people in the name of testing medicine for the emperor. The beggars were brought here. After those beggars were brought here, they only met Huai Jie once. Without exception, all of them bled to death... The disease was the 'blood disease' that was spread among the people a while ago... "

(End of this chapter)